In the past month, we have witnessed collegiate basketball at the highest level, from Maryland Terrapin Derik Queen’s buzzer-beater over Colorado State to Paige Bueckers’s 40-point performance to defeat Oklahoma in the Elite 8.
Yet, none of these performances have been as incredible as what the Claremont Colleges have put on display. On April 5, students had their very own opportunity to play in a 16-team, 5v5 basketball tournament — the second annual Dean Chris Classic (DCC), hosted by Harvey Mudd College and the Linde Activities Center (LAC).
On Saturday, students showed up in teams of five or six players, both co-ed and closed, and competed in their respective brackets.
Students who weren’t confident in their full-court, 5v5 abilities — but who knew that they could shoot lights-out beyond the arc — had no need to worry. The tournament also had a 3-point and half-court shot contest, as well as a 1v1 competition.
The DCC worked alongside MuddLife’s Springfest carnival event, so students from all over the 5Cs could enjoy more than just the tournament — there were also food trucks and various fun activities like bubble soccer, ping-pong, spike ball, bouncy houses and more.
Though only in its second year of founding, DCC has been in the works for quite some time. Associate Dean for Students and Director of Campus Life Chris Sundberg — the “Dean Chris” behind DCC — began hosting a physical education course, “Dean Chris’s Thursday Night Basketball,” nearly 25 years ago.
Sundberg credited Charlie Morris PZ ’26 and Bryce Bailey HM ’25 for translating what was once a mere PE class into a full-scale basketball tournament.
“We never really got it together till Bryce Bailey and Charlie Morris went, ‘Hey, let’s do a tournament,’” Sundberg said, reminiscing about the tournament’s founding last year. “I said, ‘Okay … I’ll play, just let me know how I can help.’”
Bailey and Morris said that they had been wanting to create a student-led 5C tournament for a while. They added that Sundberg, whom they referred to as “DC,” brought the idea to life.
“Anyone who knows DC knows he is a selfless and caring member of the Mudd and greater Claremont basketball community,” Morris said. “Although he credited Bryce and me for bringing the tournament to life, his leadership and involvement in the organizing, collaborating and marketing of the event is not to be understated. It was a no-brainer that the tournament should be named after him to honor his ongoing legacy in the 5C basketball community.”
In the second rendition of the event, the organizers made huge strides. Last year, the tournament only had a men’s bracket; this year, organizers added a co-ed one. Still, there were some challenges.
Morris claimed that the biggest obstacle was getting close to a hundred students to commit to three hours of basketball on a Saturday afternoon. However, he added that MuddLife’s SpringFest — which brought games, raffles, activities and food to the LAC — helped.
The tournament’s open registration meant that players of every skill level could enter into a melting pot of five-person rosters for the weekend. From first-timers to DIII athletes on the varsity team, the event brought together a wide range of athletes.
For Kayla Malek PO ’28, a guard on Pomona-Pitzer (P-P) women’s basketball team, the DCC was an experience like no other. She said she first heard about the tournament from her teammate, who wanted to join with several of her friends and some members of the club basketball team.
“I said yes, because I wasn’t doing anything this Saturday afternoon — that’s how I got on the team,” Malek said.
For Malek, the best part about the tournament was seeing everyone come together as a community in a 5C-wide event outside of basketball season.
“I do feel united and joyful with this, within the community,” Malek said. “This is my first time really participating in a 5C event, and I think it’s been really fun.”
Even for non-varsity athletes like Seth Horn PO ’27, the DCC was a blast. He returned for a second run at the tournament after playing last year, but he said this time, he was more focused on enjoying the experience than winning.
“Sometimes it’s nice to just come out here and have fun … the underlying thing is just companionship, coming and playing basketball on a really nice day like today,” Horn said. “I’ma still try to get my dunks off and all that stuff, but it’s just fun to come and not have to worry about whether your record is clean.”
By the end of the weekend, the tournament championed one team that remained undefeated in the bracket.
Kayla’s Koalas — consisting of Malek, Morris, Emily Lee PZ ’26, Sharon Nejad PO ’26, Talbott Chelsey PO ’28 and Dejean Sypher CM ’26 — were winners of the co-ed tournament, walking away with DCC-branded shirts printed by NyceDays. Sundberg was also a member of this team, having decided to participate in his tournament.
Now that the tournament is over, Morris said the turnout was greater than expected. But with one of two organizers graduating this summer, he says the DCC faces some uncertainties moving forward.
“Bryce [Bailey]’s contributions to the tournament are, simply put, irreplaceable,” Morris said. “From media management to tournament logistics, Bryce’s attention to detail … is truly inspiring.”
Although the leading and planning crew of the DCC may look slightly different next year, the tournament’s overall goal — uniting the Claremont Colleges through a shared love of basketball — will persist.
In the meantime, players will look back at the weekend at DCC and remember an atmosphere that emphasized unity and fun, even over the tournament’s fierce competition. Whether one left the court with the championship (and some bragging rights) or zero points scored, the DCC did its job: bringing together passionate students who committed to creating a community over some pickup ball.